Shaking up fuel station communication: Winning customers in the digital new world

The future has already started, with enormous changes that gained even more speed throughout the pandemic. Ahead of the curve, with a proud tradition of creating innovation from challenge, is German display expert PWM, setting course for an all new communication experience. The key is DOOH.

Advertising during the refueling process directly at the gas pump | © PWM GmbH & Co. KG

The fuel station industry is no stranger to fundamental change and constant innovation. For decades, the key to survival was adapting to new circumstances, and taking a break is not an option today either. Just the opposite: The new age of digitalization affects every bit of modern society and with it the way we travel and do logistics. Adding to the mix the energy transition away from fossil fuels makes it a perfect storm.

A storm full of chances and opportunities, though. While Northern Europe appeared to be a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to automated fuel stations with digitized marketing and payment services, it seems now that it is the Southern European markets that will benefit most from new ideas at the station.

Instead of creating fully automatized and streamlined filling points that provide little more than fuel delivery, the future might see the opposite development towards rather comprehensive services, driven by a full-blown customer journey. This is even more important in the changing landscape of electric vehicles that need charging points. Electric charging takes time, and having customers sitting in their cars without using waiting times to create business is hardly a clever option.

Embracing the client

The fuel station will have to embrace the client, guide them towards creative new services, engage with them in a way that is much more sophisticated than before. Yes, the traditional price sign remains important as a beacon for travellers and a clear business card for the fuel station. PWM is proud of the outstanding engineering and the reliable technology of these displays. Over the last years, however, priorities changed towards the new digital age. All innovation is solution based, strictly focusing on empowering the fuel station to form stronger customer relations.

The hardware side of this venture are the premium displays, available in any size. Four decades ago it was PWM who introduced the first ever digital price sign. Today, the company offers every digit technology on the market, with modern SMD-LEDs being the top of the pack. Energy-efficient, highly visible under any conditions, able to thrive in even the most adverse weather, featuring low maintenance and outstanding design.

PWM customers have been enjoying remote controlled options for many years, but today TRACK is the state of the art: The cloud-based real-time interface that is not only highly flexible, but also offers feedback channels, including maintenance information. While that is practical for the everyday work of a fuel station, the latest revolution started with the PWM RGB Boards.

Draw attention to the products at the point of sale | © PWM GmbH & Co. KG

Beyond the internet: Beat the gadgets

Online services and internet gadgets seem to win the battle for customers. They capture, guide and keep the attention of users, in a way that static print communication can’t compete with. PWM RGB Boards counter this by bringing multimedia, colours and moving pictures to the point of sales. And that’s just the beginning.

The future of communication and marketing in public spaces is Digital Out of Home – or short: DOOH. It delivers fast, perfectly targeted information, communication and advertising right where the customers are, dragging the target group away from their devices and into the physical market place. DOOH creates attention and binds focus on the customer’s journey through the point of sales. This brings additional sales opportunities, but also a stronger customer retention in the long term.

DOOH turns PWM’s new display technology into real magic: Not just the displays, but the intelligent way of integrating them at the fuel station. With PWM’s new dooh-it concept, hardware and software melt together in a cloud-based content management system, connecting consumers with the information they need, right where they are.

Supercharged content management at the fuel station

The new PWM dooh-it is the solution for single stations, bigger ventures with multiple locations, huge corporations or franchise systems: The content management system scales up to any size. All that’s needed is the right amount of displays, and while PWM is happy to provide these, existing screens can be easily integrated. A simple USB stick does the trick, without additional hardware. Everything else comes straight from the cloud.

Multiple screens can be clustered in categories or locations, changed easily and on the click of a button or planned in advance for a year or more. Content updates in real time, uploading and managing is simple and happens in a browser, from anywhere in the world.

Bringing together high tech and intelligent solutions builds the foundation for future proof business in a market that is as exciting as challenging. The future has already started.